Hi all
This being the 50th anniversary of the year 1969, there has been a lot in the news about that auspicious year. Here is a brief essay from 1969, which touches on a topic dear to our hearts (quoted for review purposes only) --

A Book For Bee-Havers and For Bee-Keepers 

SOME YEARS AGO, when I had been an Extension Specialist in Apiculture long enough to become conscious of the vastness of misinformation and nescience among beekeepers, l considered how the problem could be countered. 

In discussing the matter with one of our County Agricultural Agents, the proposal was made that correct information could be presented in book form . The plan would be to divide all topics into two sections - one for those who had a few hives from which they got swarms and honey and the other section for those who managed one or any number of colonies and who, therefore, would be supposed to be more truly knowledgeable. For simplicity of presentation the sections would be headed For Bee-Havers and For Bee-Keepers. 

Additional discussion concerned the subject matter to be presented in each section. Soon it became obvious that the For Bee-Havers section would be like the book which you may have seen, entitled "What I Know About Women" -all blank pages. You see, this County Agent had learned that there are certain people to whom you cannot tell anything, so blank pages would be as effective as printed ones. 

The section For Bee-Keepers would contain a compendium concerning each topic with recommended practices. 

The idea of publishing such a book is intriguing. The For Bee-Havers section would be easy- the only difficulty would be in deciding how many blank pages to be included. The For Bee-Keepers section would be the sort of thing which I should like to do. There would be no need to explain terms, qualify statements, or go into intimate detail. The Bee-Keeper would have the background, both in theory and practice, to enable him to follow easily. 

From the writer's standpoint, this would be a breeze. A lot could be covered in a few sentences, although to deal adequately with each topic would certainly require several hundred pages. 

Since society in this age has made us very conscious of discrimination, we still are bothered about that section For Bee-Havers. How many blank pages so that the Bee-Havers will not feel that there is discrimination? As yet I haven't been able to decide. On a numerical basis - Bee-Havers vs. Bee-Keepers, I have an idea )10w my friend, the County Agent, would allocate space. And it would certainly not be less than a ratio of ten to one. 

Since the Bee-Keepers would certainly be worthy of what would fill a medium sized volume, it appears that a multi-volume encyclopedia would be necessary - nine volumes for the Bee-Havers and one for the Bee-Keepers. Having made that decision, it remains to find a publisher. If any of you care to make the contract for a ten volume edition of For Bee-Havers and .For Bee-Keepers, the first nine volumes to contain blank pages, I'll prepare the manuscript for the tenth. 

Perhaps it would be better to have each volume deal with a particular topic, In which case we should probably start out with For Bee-Keepers, leaving nine-tenths of each volume for the Bee-Havers. This might not be quite adequate to hold the misinformation and nescience of the latter group, but it would be a start. Maybe the second edition when called for could be enlarged.

W.A. Stevens
Extension Apiculture Specialist
Ohio State University

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